iBPaa
July
30,
1992
Vol.
10,
No.
46
d
CANADIAN
SCIENCE
Executive
Editor:
Lydia
Dotto
Managing
Editor:
John
Holt
ISSN
0712-488
Published
by:
Canadian
Science
News
Service,
Room
H-02,
University
College,
University
of
Toronto,
Toronto,
Ont.
M5S
1
A1
(416)
595-7153
Funded
by
grants
from
the
Science
Culture
Canada
Program,
the
Alberta
Science
City
Fund,
the
Ontario
Ministry
of
Industry,
Trade
and
Technology
and
the
British
Columbia
Ministry
of
Advanced
Education,
Training
and
Technology
Microwaves
link
Guelph,
Waterloo
Two
universities
share
classes
By
John
Eberlee
Two
Ontario
universities
have
created
what
may
be
the
most
advanced
longdistance
education
system
in
North
America:
a
multimedia
communications
link
allowing
students
on
one
campus
to
fully
participate
in
courses
offered
on
the
other
campus,
without
actually
being
there
in
person.
Unveiled
late
last
year,
the
system
links
two
classrooms
at
the
universities
of
Guelph
and
Waterloo.
It
was
set
up
to
reduce
time
spent
on
the
road
by
graduate
students
in
physics
and
chemistry.
The
two
universities
offer
joint
programs
in
these
subjects,
explains
Dr.
Jim
Hunt,
a
professor
of
physics
at
Guelph
and
manager
of
the
system.
Previously,
it
took
students
about
40
minutes
to
drive
from
one
campus
to
the
other,
he
says.
"Wasting
a
whole
morning
just
to
attend
a
one-hour
lecture
was
not
a
productive
use
of
their
time."
Moreover,
it
put
students
at
risk.
Since
joint
programs
were
established,
university
vans
have
been
involved
in
several
accidents,
he
notes.
According
to
Hunt,
the
idea
of
electronically
linking
the
two
campuses
arose
after
someone
connected
them
on
a
map
and
discovered
that,
at
26
kilometres
apart,
they
are
close
enough
to
communicate
via
microwaves.
At
this
stage,
students
and
teachers
sat
down
together
to
decide
what
they
would
and
wouldn't
like
to
see
in
a
communications
system.
"The
consensus
was
that
students
attending
lectures
from
the
remote
classroom
should
have
the
same
choice
about
what
to
look
at
as
students
who
are
in
the
same
room
as
Researcher
examines
By
Leah
Winter
Weak
family
structures
and
low
government
social
spending
are
strongly
linked
to
higher
rates
of
infanticide,
according
to
a
study
of
18
developed
nations
done
by
sociologist
Rosemary
Gartner.
Now
at
the
Tiny
plants
found
living
inside
rocks
By
John
Holt
A
University
of
Guelph
researcher
has
found
colonies
of
tiny
plants
living
inside
rocks.
Botanist
Doug
Larson,
who
made
the
discovery,
was
investigating
fine
lines
of
green
colour
found
inside
rocks
split
open
when
he
cut
down
trees
rooted
in
them.
Larson
says
no
one
expected
such
rock-dwelling
plants
would
be
found
in
Ontario.
Previously,
such
plants
were
known
only
from
Antarctica,
the
Negev
Desert,
and
the
Colorado
Rockies.
Scientists
think
the
plants
have
taken
refuge
in
the
rocks
to
escape
the
harsh
climate
in
those
areas.
Larson
was
surprised
to
find
similar
colonies
of
so
called
'cryptoendolithic'
(hidden-inside-rocks)
plants
in
the
relatively
mild
environment
of
Southern
Ontario.
Larson
and
a
colleague,
Uta
Matthes-Sears,
were
cuning
trees
along
a
limestone
cliff
on
the
university's
property.
Some
of
the
trees
were
rooted
in
the
rock;
splitting
the
rock
to
loosen
the
roots
revealed
the
bright
green
lines.
Having
a
whale
of
iirw1"
University
of
Minnesota,
Gartner
did
the
study
while
a
professor
in
the
sociology
department
of
the
University
of
Toronto's
law
faculty.
"It's
not
just
the
family
structure
within
countries,
but
it's
the
relationship
and
inter-action
between
Observing
samples
through
a
microscope,
Larson
found
the
lines
were
composed
of
tiny
plants:
algae,
fungi
and
maybe
lichens.
Prompted
by
the
discovery,
he
checked
out
other
limestone
cliffs
in
the
area
and
found
similar
plant
colonies
in
cliff
rocks
near
Milton
and
along
the
Niagara
Escarpment.
Larson
still
isn't
sure
how
many
different
species
of
plants
these
colonies
may
contain,
or
how
common
they
are.
However,
they
grow
relatively
rapidly;
the
site
on
the
U
of
G
property
had
been
quarried
till
40
years
ago.
Larson
guesses
the
plants
may
not
only
be
taking
shelter
but
also
have
some
sort
of
relationship
with
the
trees
that
grow
in
the
cliffs
-
providing
them
with
nutrients,
perhaps.
He,
Matthes-Sears
and
two
colleagues
-
botanist
Joseph
Gerrath
and
environmental
biologist
George
Barron
-
plan
further
studies
of
the
plants.
(Canadian
Science
News)
a
time...
Head-on
view
of
a
right
whale
on
the
surface.
Note
the
bony
ridges
and
hollows
on
the
whale's
'forehead'.
These
differ
from
whale
to
whale;
whale
researchers
can
use
them
to
identify
individual
vt
halcs.(Pic:
Jeff
Goodyear)
(Canadian
Science
News)
the
lecturer,"
says
Hunt.
To
accommodate
this
request,
engineers
designed
a
two-channel
system
carrying
voice,
data
and
video
images
in
either
direction
between
two
identical
classrooms.
Each
room
holds
as
many
as
38
students,
who
sit
in
pairs.
Each
pair
of
students
shares
a
microphone
and
a
colour
monitor,
on
which
they
can
examine
the
contents
of
an
electronic
'whiteboard'.
Alternatively,
they
can
view
two
large
screens
at
the
front
of
the
class,
one
for
showing
slides
and
graphics,
the
other
for
displaying
people.
Students
in
the
remote
classroom
see
the
lecturer,
while
those
in
the
live
classroom
see
their
long-distance
classmates.
Missing
from
either
room
are
camera
operators.
Hunt
says.
A
camera
infanticide
in
Canada
family
structure
and
economic
circumstances
that
sets
up
the
conditions
for
high
rates
of
infanticide,"
says
Gartner.
Using
statistics
provided
by
the
World
Health
Organization
(WHO),
Gartner
studied
the
numbers
of
killings
of
infants
(less
than
one
year
old)
and
children
(ages
one
to
four)
in
North
America,
Europe.
Australia,
New
Zealand
and
Japan
between
1965
and
1984.
Interested
in
how
the
characteristics
of
nations
affect
their
infanticide
rates,
Gartner
focussed
on
developed
nations
primarily
because
of
the
availability
of
accurate
statistics.
According
to
these
statistics,
Canada,
considered
a
nation
in
the
'low-social-spending'
group
(along
with
the
United
States,
Switzerland,
Finland,
Ireland,
England
and
Wales.
Australia
and
New
Zealand),
ranked
about
average
with
three
infanticides
per
100,000
children.
Italy,
in
the
"high-social-spending'
group
(with
Austria,
-
Belgium,
France,
West
Germany,
the
Netherlands,
Denmark,
Norway,
and
Sweden),
was
lowest
with
0.8
per
100,000.
Finland
and
Austria,
with
seven
per
Fungus
could
be
the
world's
largest
single
living
organism
By
Sally
Johnston
A
mammoth
fungus,
discovered
by
University
of
Toronto
and
American
scientists,
has
been
identified
as
one
of
the
oldest
and
largest
life-forms
on
Earth.
The
fungus,
of
a
species
called
Armillaria
bulbosa,
lives
largely
underground
in
a
Michigan
forest.
It
weighs
as
much
as
an
adult
blue
whale
and
is
at
least
1,500
years
old,
according
to
the
calculations
of
U
of
T
botany
professor
James
Anderson
and
PhD
student
Myron
Smith,
and
Johann
Bruhn
of
Michigan
Technical
University.
And
it
even
tastes
good.
The
three
scientists
genetically
fingerprinted
a
giant
fungal
network
whose
only
visible
part
is
the
golden-brown
mushrooms
-
commonly
called
'honey
mushrooms'
it
produces
in
the
fall.
But
there
is
a
lot
more
to
the
fungus
than
meets
the
eye.
Beneath
the
surface
of
the
soil
lies
a
complex
network
of
intermeshed
threads
called
rhizomorphs,
which
consist
of
bundles
of
microscopic
filaments
known
as
hyphae.
These
are
not
roots
but
the
electronically
tracks
the
lecturer
automatically,
using
infra-red
sensors,
as
he
or
she
changes
position
at
the
front
of
the
class.
For
their
part,
lecturers
can
view
the
remote
class
from
their
own
colour
monitor,
field
questions,
and
even
select
the
level
of
classroom
interaction
they're
most
comfortable
with.
In
'classroom'
mode,
one
microphone
at
a
time
is
on.
Hunt
explains.
Students
who
have
questions
register
this
by
pressing
a
button
on
their
desks,
then
wait
for
permission
to
speak.
In
'discussion'
mode,
the
atmosphere
is
looser.
All
the
microphones
are
on
at
once
to
encourage
debate.
With
all
its
features,
the
system
almost
makes
one
forget
that
the
two
campuses
are
miles
apart,
says
Dr.
Adrian
Schwan,
an
organic
chemist
at
100,000,
ranked
highest
"There
are
enormous
variations
across
these
countries,"
says
Gartner.
"These
can
be
explained
by
a
variety
of
characteristics,
including
measures
of
family
structure,
where
illegitimate
birth
rates
are
higher,
where
there
are
more
births
to
teenage
mothers,
where
the
divorce
rate
is
higher...all
related
to
higher
infant
and
child
homicide
rates."
High
rates
of
infanticide
and
child
killing
in
developed
nations
were
associated
with
low
levels
of
government
spending
on
social
programs,
as
well
as
high
proportions
of
women
in
the
labour
force
and
low
proportions
of
women
in
college
and
in
professional
occupations.
Gartner
notes
that
the
link
between
these
factors
lay
in
the
increased
economic
stress,
social
isolation,
and
lack
of
social
support
experienced
by
families.
"Not
only
will
families
with
these
characteristics
be
particularly
prone
to
child
abuse,"
Gartner
says
in
her
study,
but
"large
numbers
of
such
families
in
a
social
system
can
raise
the
risks
of
violence
for
all
families
in
the
system
fungus's
essential
body.
Until
now
researchers
have
not
known
whether
the
vast
network
-
in
this
case
covering
at
least
15
hectares,
equivalent
to
23
football
fields
-
was
a
single
living
organism
or
a
tangled
mesh
of
separate
individuals.
By
analyzing
the
DNA
sequence
of
samples
from
both
the
surface
mushrooms
and
the
underground
rhizomorphs,
the
scientists
demonstrated
conclusively
that
this
growth
of
Armillaria
bulbosa
is
a
single
organism
all
the
parts
are
genetically
identical.
Based
on
growth
rate
estimates,
the
botanists
figure
the
fungus
is
around
1,500
years
old.
They
came
up
with
a
ballpark
estimate
of
its
weight
as
being
100
tonnes
by
carefully
weighing
samples
of
the
mushrooms
and
rhizomorphs
and
estimating
the
extent
of
the
underground
network
of
threads
connecting
them.
The
scientists
suggest
the
fungus
may
be
the
heaviest
single
mass
of
living
maner
yet
identified.
Although
the
giant
sequoia
tree
weighs
an
estimated
1,385
tonnes,
it
consists
of
Guelph.
As
a
lecturer,
"you
can
see
both
classes
at
the
same
time
and
tell
whether
students
at
the
other
campus
are
nodding
their
heads
in
agreement,
are
puzzled,
or
whatever."
Since
the
system's
launch,
the
two
universities
have
started
using
it
to
teach
computer
science
courses
jointly,
and
other
departments
are
interested
in
the
idea,
says
Hunt
In
addition,
he
and
his
colleagues
have
received
enquiries
about
their
system
both
from
local
boards
of
education
and
from
foreign
universities.
The
GuelphWaterloo
education
link
was
built
with
financial
support
from
the
Ontario
Ministry
of
Colleges
and
Universities,
and
Electrohome
Limited,
a
Kitchener-based
electronics
firm.
(Canadian
Science
News)
by
weakening
networks
of
informal
support
and
control
in
the
system
as
a
whole."
Surprisingly,
the
government
spending
that
seemingly
has
the
greatest
effect
in
lowering
the
risks
and
rates
of
infant
and
child
homicide
in
these
countries
is
not
direct
financial
support
to
parents
and
children,
but
rather
increased
social
security
expenditures,
specifically
on
pensions
and
health
caret-
Gartner
suggests
in
her
report
that
perhaps
"spending
on
social
programs
should
be
thought
of
as
an
indicator
of
a
cultural
orientation
or
social
ideology
inhibiting
interpersonal
violence."
Economic
recessions
in
the
developed
countries
could
play
a
part
in
increasing
rates
of
infanticide
and
child
killing,
says
Gartner.
But
she
would
not
definitely
predict
such
an
increase,
because
a
number
of
other
factors
play
a
role.
Besides,
countries
often
react
to
economic
crisis
by
increasing
social
welfare
spending
and
mat
could
reduce
or
counter
any
increase
in
rates
that
the
economic
crisis
might
cause,
she
says.
(Canadian
Science
News)
mostly
dead
wood
accumulated
over
centuries
of
growth.
The
Armillaria
bulbosa,
however,
consists
of
entirely
new
living
material.
Anderson
stresses
that
the
fungus
should
not
be
considered
unusual.
It
is
surrounded
by
other
individual
growths
of
Armillaria
bulbosa,
many
of
which
may
be
just
as
large.
He
and
his
colleagues
are
just
the
first
to
show
how
massive
an
individual
of
the
species
can
become.
Anderson
points
out
that
the
fungus
clearly
has
an
important
role
in
the
forest
ecosystem.
It
decomposes
dead
wood,
recycling
nutrient
materials
and
making
them
available
to
other
organisms.
"It
must
occupy
an
important
part
of
the
energy
budget
of
the
forest,"
Anderson
said
in
an
interview.
The
team's
findings
were
published
in
the
British
journal
Nature.
Funding
was
provided
by
the
Natural
Sciences
and
Engineering
Research
Council.
(Canadian
Science
News)